Photo: Participant Media
By Kathi Wolfe
… Nearly every queer and/or disabled person I know has experienced [the] feeling of both love and isolation from their family. This disconnection often doesn’t come from lack of parental love. We’re disconnected from our families because our identities are so different from theirs. … The experience of ourselves and our families is rarely accurately represented on screen.
Thankfully, Far From the Tree, a new documentary playing nationally, directed by Emmy Award-wining Rachel Dretzin, speaks eloquently to our experience. The film, available on Video On Demand, is adapted from the best-selling 2012 book with the same title by gay writer Andrew Solomon.
… Why does Far From the Tree speak so forcefully to me and many others who are queer and disabled? Because so few people have recognized the parallels between the different facets of ourselves and our families’ attempts to not only love, but understand us. … Check it out. It’ll enrich your understanding of identity and family.
(To read the full review, please visit the Washington Blade.)
